Wednesday, July 23, 2014

(Seabrook, TX)- The final Lakewood YC sponsored regatta of 2014 will
again be one of the regatta highlights of the year: the 5th Annual
J/Fest Southwest will be held on November 1-2 and promises to be the
biggest and best yet! The previous editions of this unique event have
each seen strong increases in participation, as the quality of the
regatta has become better known in the region and beyond.

The City of Seabrook is again the title sponsor of the event. The city’s
contribution allows us to put on a very special event with amenities
and services for participants and spectators that set the event apart
from other area regattas. J/Fest Southwest attracts a large number of
boats that travel from other areas of the state and as far away as
Colorado. We’re still working on getting the travel happy crews from the
Northeast to come down and extend their racing season. What could be
better than to take your boat to a great event instead of putting it on
the hard for the winter?

We
are again expecting a record attendance in 2014. The super popular J/70
has seen its local fleet grow substantially, with several LYC members
getting into this great speedster. Last year we were very successful
attracting a number of J/Boats that don’t currently have strong
one-design fleets but came out to race in PHRF handicap classes. We’re
hoping to again expand our reach in these classes. To all you racers and
crew members: talk it up with the J/Boat owner friends! Every J/Boat is
a race boat, even if it’s a ‘cruising J’! We also expect strong
participation for the J/22, J/24, J/80, J/105 and J/109 classes as well
as several J/120s. We have a new J/122 SECOND STAR in our LYC family.
New members J.D. and Susan Hill will be at the starting line as ‘scratch
boat’ that everyone else will chase. It will be exciting for sure! We
hope to give participants an event that will put it onto their ‘can’t
miss’ list.

Further to Seabrook, a number of returning sponsors have committed to
supporting this regatta: Hayes Rigging, UK Sails, North Sails, The
Sundance Grill II, Rejex, Blackburn Marine, Harken to name a few. I know
that the racers appreciate their support! You can help by thanking them
when the opportunity arises. Use their services, and when you do,
mention their support for this regatta!

As always, J/Fest Southwest is co-sponsored by Scott and Terry Spurlin
of J/Boats Southwest. Scott was instrumental in developing the concept
of this unique regatta and the Spurlins have every year invested
countless hours in the promotion and preparation of the event,
prominently including the event’s informative web site at
www.jfestsouthwest.com. Scott and Terry are also using their
considerable network of J/Boat owners to spread the word about the
regatta and bring in new crews from around the country.

This event is also designed to reach out to those who want to watch the
regatta: Family members, friends and other sailing enthusiasts can board
LYC member Paul Dunphey’s Liberty Belle, which is again serving as our
spectator boat. Thank you Paul and Amy!! Another excellent way to follow
the racing is to volunteer on the water: run or crew a mark-set boat or
help out on the signal boat. Contact Kathy Goethe (281) 844-7010 if
that’s interesting to you. Of course, it is still best to hop on a
J/Boat and mix it up with the others! It’s friendly competition at its
best!! See you there! I can’t wait! For more J/Fest Southwest sailing information